


Telephone Love

by canterofmysinnings



Series: Barlliams Songfic Challenge 2018-2020+ [2]
Category: Take That (Band)
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Swearing, M/M, Making Up, Reunion, Texting, Threats of Violence, Touring, implied drunk sex, implied hangover, implied romantic relationship, slight angst with a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:29:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canterofmysinnings/pseuds/canterofmysinnings
Summary: Robbie wakes up hungover after a post-concert party which went too far. He is surprised to find a text from Gary. He discovers that he took a journalist, Cindy, home the night before. He threatens to call security on her and she leaves. Robbie takes up contact with Gary again. A phone call reaffirms what they always knew to be true. They then set up a reunion at Robbie's place.
Relationships: Gary Barlow/Robbie Williams, Robbie Williams/Original Female Character
Series: Barlliams Songfic Challenge 2018-2020+ [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1926196
Kudos: 4





	Telephone Love

**Author's Note:**

> This part 2 of my Transfer from Wattpad series, as well as my year-long Barlliams Songfic challenge.  
> Originally published at: 27/05/2018  
> Originally inspired by the song: Life Thru A Lens

The year was 2001.   
Robbie woke up at quarter after five and he couldn't help but feel absolutely dreadful. It was finally his day off, and he couldn't even sleep in as he had planned to from all of the tour dates where he'd been up a long time before seven.   
Due to the this and probably a few other things, Robbie felt extraordinarily grumpy.   
He also felt empty and like he lacked a sense of purpose. The end of the tour had taken that away from him.   
He reached for his phone on the bedside table and stared mindlessly into the messages. Not particularly caring about anything or anyone, he scrolled by a lot of people that had texted them. Until... That was a text from Gary!

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and tried to figure out how long he'd been ignoring him.   
He held the phone as he got out of the bed any lazily put on clotches.

He walked from the bedroom into the kitchen in a zombie-like state, reaching for the coffee maker to make himself some coffee.   
To his big surprise, however, he discovered that the coffee container was already full of hot coffee. Robbie smelled to it and concluded that someone in his house must've made it for him. The question was just... Who did that? He had no idea, because he didn't remember letting anyone in yesterday. But then again, he might of been a little too drunk from an after-tour party.

Overwhelmed with questions, he began searching for his favourite mug. Robbie had a favourite mug, a mug with his favourite football team, Port Vale. Robbie was sure to let anyone visiting, friends or guests even, know for once that this mug was his and his alone.  
He grew increasingly frustrated as the mug seemed to be gone.   
He sweared to himself in sheer frustration. "I swear! Whenever I find that wanker who stole my mug, I will...!"

"Hi." A womanly voice said behind him.   
Robbie froze and slowly turned around.   
To his great dismay, a woman sat on one of the chairs in the kitchen, nonchalantly holding his... His mug?!

"Who- What?!" Robbie's mind went into overdrive as he tried his hardest not to freak out on the poor missus.

His face visibly reddened with anger as he studied the woman even more. It almost clicked for him as he realised that the woman was in reporter-esque clothes.

The anger descended into panic as he realised what might have happened yesterday. His head spun as he frantically poured coffee into a regular mug.

The coffee temporarily calmed him down, enough to keep his cool.   
"Who are you?" Robbie asked, ready to jump the woman if she tried a trick.

"Oh. Where are my manners! Excuse me, please. My name is Cindy, and I'm a journalist. You took me home yesterday and you couldn't stop kissing me! I quite enjoyed it, though you appeared to be quite intoxicated-"

Robbie cut her off. "Enough! I don't remember any of that! Besides, just because I kissed you doesn't mean you get a free pass to stay over at my house as long as you like!"

The journalist finished the coffee. Robbie walked over and looked into the mug and was enraged to see the disgracing dark coffee stains that she left. Robbie inhaled deeply. He knew that anything that he said or did could be held against him in the word of journalism.

"Will you please get out of my house?" Robbie asked. "I'm really not interested in having guests over right now. Especially considering the fact that you weren't invited by me."   
The woman scoffed loudly. "Oh Robbie Williams, you're just like what my colleagues write about you. Selfish, ignorant, cold-"

Robbie sternly grabbed the mug from the table she sat by.   
"Very well." He said while looking her threatingly in the eyes, "If you don't leave by yourself right now, I'll have to call my guards on you."

The journalist seemed to catch the message by now, as she flinched in fear.   
She grabbed her bag tightly and brushed off her dress as she hurriedly got up from the chair and walked out of the kitchen, neurotically checking to her left and right as she left Robbie's property entirely.

Robbie sighed in disbelief. His day was going entirely off the rails, and as if things weren't bad enough, now it appeared before him that yesterday at the party he had become so drunk that he had went home with a woman. And off all women, a godforsaken journalist!

He cringed and downed his coffee in one go in hopes it would relieve his dread.   
He returned to his phone which he had left in the living room. In hopes of finding something worthwhile, he resumed scrolling with the down button on his phone, until his thumb hurt.

However, nothing struck him as worthwhile, five hours passed until 10 am. Robbie made himself a sparse lunch and drunk more coffee. He had a feeling that something was about to happen soon, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was. Sitting down in the living room with another cup of coffee, he checked his phone again. To his disappointment, nothing new was to be seen.

Just as he were to turn off the display, someone called. He looked at the display name. That was... Gary?   
He choked on his coffee and had to lie down for a while as he tried to comprehend. Gary was calling him? After he had been such a terrible person to him?   
He took a long breath as he turned down the call.   
What felt like a long silence ensued.   
Gary called again.   
Robbie was close to cry as he felt his heart was pounding on his throat.   
Should he, or shouldn't he? It felt forbidden, as if Gary was one of his many girl exes calling him to rebound.   
The ring tone eventually drove him mad. His hand slipped on the buttons and he accidentally pressed OK to receiving the call.   
Gary broke the silence immediately.   
"Hello, Robbie." Gary said. "I might not have a valid excuse to call you, it's just... From what I read in the papers you've been depressed lately, and it concerned me, although... You know... History."  
Robbie couldn't produce intelligible words as he had too many nerves. He just breathed to let Gary know he was there.   
"We've been pestering each other for years on end you know... And if you think I have forgotten that, you're wrong because I still do think of it sometimes... However, I have a feeling it's time to move past it. And now might be a good time to do that."  
"I see." Robbie's voice cracked. He cleared his throat in embarrassment and proceeded to nervously bite a few of his fingernails on his left hand.   
"I don't know what to say, Robbie. I think I just called to let you know something I reckon I didn't say clearly, or often enough in the past few years."  
Robbie's nerves got stronger, and he bit his nails with great feror as he felt heart beat faster than ever. A few tears formed in the edge of his eyes and trickled down next to his nose and down his face.

"I think what I forgot to say but meant to say all along," Gary breathed in and Robbie sensed that Gary was just as much on the edge as he was.   
"I care about you, Robbie. I always have."

Robbie's breathing and heartbeat skipped over multiple seconds.

"But, I've been such a-" Robbie protested in desperation. He pinched himself to make sure this wasn't a dream.   
Robbie resumed.   
"I've been really mean to you, and there is plenty of proof! I don't know why you would ever forgive me, I don't deserve to be forgiven after all I've done to you!"

"Robbie, I do this because I don't want to lose you." Gary said. "Being bitter has no use, because that will not get us- I..." Gary stumbled over his words.

"I..." Robbie tried to pick up from Gary, but to no avail.   
The two men sat in silence on both sides of the phone.   
Robbie tried to hold back the tears, but it became too much for him and he broke down crying.

Gary waited in silence, but as he heard Robbie's sobbing, he became concerned.   
"Wait, Robbie... Are you crying?"

Hearing Gary being concerned over his wellbeing, Robbie cried harder. As he came to his senses, it dawned on him that Gary's caring for him was deeper than the care any of the girls he'd ever loved had offered.   
Suddenly feeling an urge to act on it, he picked up the phone to his ear and spoke to Gary.

"D-Don't worry, I'm alright. I was just overwhelmed-d b-by this, tas' all" He reassured Gary.

"Good to know, Robbie." Gary spoke softly. "I, uh, I'm going shopping. Can I grab you anything from the store?"

Robbie felt bubbly joy in his entire stomach as he nodded and agreed. "Yeah, I think I need... Wait, d'ya know what. As a thank you, I want to invite you over for dinner. Grab some pasta and stuff, then I'll set the table and make dessert."

"Great!" Gary beamed with happiness which was so evident that Robbie could feel it even though it was through the phone.

"And one thing, before I go." Gary added. "Do you want wine to the main course?"

Robbie clenched his teeth as flashbacks from earlier unraveled in his head.   
"I think I'll pass, to be honest."

"That's fine. See you in half an hour!" Gary said.

Robbie waited a bit and then hung up. He felt like he never had been happier as he walked into the kitchen again to tidy up.   
  



End file.
